This invention relates to a three-dimensional image pickup apparatus, a three-dimensional display apparatus, a three-dimensional image pickup and display apparatus and an information recording method for use to pick up and reproduce a three-dimensional image, and more particularly to a three-dimensional image pickup apparatus, a three-dimensional display apparatus, a three-dimensional image pickup and display apparatus and an information recording method for use to pick up a three-dimensional image in a plurality of directions from different eye points and reproduce the picked up three-dimensional image.
An apparatus which picks up a three-dimensional image is conventionally shown. According to the apparatus, two image of an image pickup object are picked up from different directions by means of a pair of light receiving elements disposed at positions corresponding to two eye points and then are visually observed by the left and right eyes of a viewer so that a parallax may be produced therebetween thereby to display a three-dimensional image. In order to cause the left and right eyes to recognize two different images from each other, a method is available wherein an image for the right eye and another image for the left are reproduced with lights having perpendicular polarization directions to each other while a viewer wears a polarizing lens so as to restrict the light to be admitted into one of the eyes. Also another method is available wherein a lenticular lens apparatus is disposed over an overall area of a display image to refract light for each pixel to select the displaying direction for an image for the right eye and the displaying direction for another image for the left eye.
However, since images corresponding to a parallax between two eye points are picked up and displayed, a viewer can recognize only a three-dimensional image of the image pickup object as viewed from the position set by the image pickup person, and therefore, the feeling of presence for three-dimensionally perceiving the display object is poor. Further, the method which uses a lenticular lens apparatus has a problem in that the position at which the viewer can visually observe the display three-dimensionally is restricted.
Thus, a display apparatus of the light ray reproduction type has been proposed by which, if the viewer changes its position with respect to the display apparatus, then the viewer can recognize light rays from different angles and therefore can visually observe a display object image from different angles. To this end, in the display apparatus, a plurality of incoming light rays from different directions are recorded for each display pixel, and recorded lights from the different directions are emitted in different directions to display the images.
A display apparatus of the light ray reproduction type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-191838 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1). In the display apparatus of the light ray reproduction apparatus, a plurality of light emitting elements for emitting light in different eye directions at a time are formed for each one pixel of an image display section for displaying an image. A pin-hole apparatus which includes shutters is disposed in front of the image display section. Thus, changeover of the display is performed in synchronism with opening and closing operations of the shutters so that different light rays may be inputted to the left and right eyes through each one shutter so that the viewer may recognize images having a parallax thereby to display a three-dimensional image.
Another display apparatus of the light ray reproduction type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-318858 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2). In the display apparatus of the light ray reproduction apparatus, a light source array including a plurality of light sources is periodically oscillated in a perpendicular direction to the advancing direction of the light, and the light outgoing from the light source array is converted into parallel light by means of a lens. The advancing direction of the outgoing light is changed by a change of the relative positions of the light source array and the lens so that a discrete Fourier conversion image to be displayed by the light source array is changed in synchronism with the movement of the light source array thereby to cause the left and light eyes of the viewer to recognize different images from each other thereby to display a three-dimensional image.
According to the apparatus of the Patent Document 1 described hereinabove, however, it is necessary to form a number of display images corresponding to the number of eye points of different directions, and an excessively great number of display pixels are required in order to display a high-definition three-dimensional image. This increases the production cost for the display apparatus. Therefore, the apparatus of the Patent Document 1 is disadvantageous in that it is not suitable for high-definition three-dimensional display. Further, the number of display pixels which can be formed is physically limited by the size of the display apparatus. Also in this regard, the apparatus of the Patent Document 1 is disadvantageous in that it is not suitable for high-definition three-dimensional display.
Meanwhile, according to the apparatus of the Patent Document 2, since a discrete Fourier transform image to be displayed by the light source array is changed over in synchronism with a periodic oscillation of the light source array, an information processing apparatus which can perform information processing at a very high speed is required in order to achieve a three-dimensional image. Therefore, the apparatus of the Patent Document 2 is disadvantages in that the apparatus configuration is complicated.